A devastating second half saw Carlton at their best to record a commanding 91-point win over Brisbane at the Gabba on Thursday night.The first quarter was a high-scoring shootout. Both sides were finding plenty of goal-scoring options, and although the Blues were slightly better around the ground, the Lions made better use of theirs to lead by two points at quarter time. But the Blues got their noses in front in the second quarter. Helped on their way by a spectacular high-flying mark by Eddie Betts and an unbelievable snap from next to the boundary line on the pocket, the Blues scored five goals to one in the second term to lead by 21 points at half time.The premiership quarter saw the Blues getting on top around the ground, shutting the Lions out of the contest. With the midfield picking up possessions at will, the Blues kept the ball constantly on their forward line. Thirteen scoring shots to one for the quarter was a reflection of the Carlton dominance, as they breezed to a 57-point lead at the last change. Late in the third term, Eddie Betts was again at his acrobatic best, going up for a mark just as good as his second quarter effort.It had been one-way traffic in the third term, and the trend would continue in the last, as the Blues were finding winners across the park. Seven goals to two for the final quarter saw the final margin blow out to 91 points.Jarrad Waite finished with five goals for the Blues, while dual Brownlow Medallist Chris Judd helped himself to 33 possessions on a day when there were plenty of touches to be had by the Carlton midfield. It was an imposing percentage-boosting win for the Blues, with this win on the back of their round one effort seeing their percentage comfortably over 200. But for the Lions, after an away win in the opening round, this was a harsh reality check.Carlton 5.5 10.9 16.10 23.16 (154)Brisbane 6.1 7.6 7.7 9.9 (63)Goals : Carlton – J Waite 5, C Judd 3, J Garlett 3, E Betts 2, M Murphy 2, K Simpson 2, S Hampson, M Kreuzer, K Lucas, H Scotland, Z Tuohy, C Yarran. Brisbane – D Merrett 2, R Lester 2, C Beams, B Hudson, J Redden, D Rich, J O'Brien.Best : Carlton – C Judd, J Waite, K Simpson, M Murphy, H Scotland, M Robinson. Brisbane – J Redden, M Leuenberger, D Rich, D Merrett, S Black, S Lester.Injuries : Carlton – Nil. Brisbane – Nil.Substitutions : Carlton – J Laidler replaced by J Russell in the fourth quarter. Brisbane – B Hudson replaced by J O’Brien in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Stevic, Grun, Pannell.Crowd - 25,920 at Gabba.

It wasn’t a game that reached any great heights, and Essendon were far from their best; but the Bombers did enough to fall over the line when they recorded a 25-point win over Port Adelaide at Docklands on Saturday afternoon.Although the Bombers had the better of play around the ground in the first quarter, they broke down badly around the half-forward line and turned the ball over with regularity. The Bombers were forced to reshuffle their team lineup midway through the first quarter when David Hille went down with a calf injury. A late surge by Port Adelaide saw scores levelled up at quarter time.The Bombers’ injury toll worsened in the second quarter, as David Myers and Nathan Lovett-Murray went down with hamstring injuries. But the Bombers kicked five goals to two for the quarter, getting out to a 21-point lead at the long break.But with the Bombers down to one on the bench in the third quarter, the Power got themselves back into the contest. The Bombers were wasting chances, as they kicked 1.7 for the quarter; while at the other end the Power scored five goals for the quarter to get back to within two points at the last change.

Easter Saturday at the SCG saw Sydney take their second win of the season, looking well in control against Fremantle before a late Freo surge saw the Swans hanging on for a 13-point win.It was goal for goal early, before two late goals for the Swans saw the home side 14 points clear at quarter time. And in the second term, the Swans found themselves getting on top around the ground. With Josh Kennedy picking up a stack of possessions, the Swans kicked five goals to one for the quarter, leading by 40 points at half time and extending the margin to 47 after four minutes of the third quarter.At that stage, the Swans looked to be cruising to an easy win. But suddenly the Dockers, after showing little to excite during the first half, began to get involved in the game. Chris Mayne pushed up forward and spearheaded the Docker charge with three goals for the quarter, as the Dockers kicked six in a row. Momentum was running Fremantle’s way, and the Swans needed a lift; and the lift came when Lewis Roberts-Thomson ran to the wing and pulled down Adam McPhee. His free kick found Adam Goodes, who kicked the steadying goal for the Swans to lead by 17 points at the last change.Although the Dockers kept coming, the Swans had enough of a buffer to hold them out and take the points, and with three goals apiece in the last quarter it was four points for the home side and Fremantle’s brave third quarter comeback had fallen short.Josh Kennedy finished with 36 possessions for the Swans; while Sam Reid and Lewis Jetta scored three goals apiece. Chris Mayne kicked four for the Dockers, while Aaron Sandilands dominated the ruck.Click here to see Harboursport's photo gallery from this match.Sydney 4.4 9.7 11.9 14.10 (94)Fremantle 2.2 3.3 9.4 12.9 (81)Goals : Sydney – S Reid 3, L Jetta 3, A Goodes 2, J McVeigh, R O'Keefe, G Rohan, N Malceski, L Roberts-Thomson, B McGlynn. Fremantle – C Mayne 4, R Crowley 2, J Anthony, A Sandilands, C Pearce, T Mzungu, K Bradley, M Johnson.Best : Sydney – J Kennedy, A Johnson, N Malceski, J McVeigh, C Bird, A Goodes. Fremantle – A Sandilands, R Crowley, C Pearce, M Johnson, M de Boer, T Mzungu.Injuries : Sydney – S Mumford (back) replaced in selected side by M Seaby. Fremantle – P Duffield (rib), J Mellington (corked leg)Substitutions : Sydney – R O’Keefe replaced by D Hannebery in the third quarter. Fremantle – J Mellington replaced by M Barlow in the second quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Nicholls, Jennings, Mollison.Crowd - 22,242 at SCG.

West Coast’s strong start to the season continued on Saturday evening at Subiaco when the Eagles dominated against a disappointing Melbourne side to run out comprehensive 108-point winners.From the start, the Eagles were getting the bulk of possession, and inside 50s were rare for the Demons. The Eagles, with seven scoring shots to one for the first quarter, led by 21 points at quarter time; and the second quarter was even more lopsided as the Eagles scored seven of the first eight goals of the quarter, and held a 54-point lead at the long break.The Eagle midfielders were picking up possessions at will, and the Demons were left in their wake time and time again. The Demons were frustrated, and their ill-discipline was seeing the Eagles pick up a lopsided free-kick count, further compounding the one-sided nature of the game. Eight goals to two for the quarter saw the Eagles 90 points ahead at three quarter time; and they went on with the job in the final term to blow the margin out to three figures.Scott Selwood picked up 34 touches, Andrew Gaff 30 and Matt Priddis 30, Joe Darling and Quinten Lynch each kicked four goals; and there were Eagle winners all around the ground. For the Demons, Mitch Clark kicked five goals in a lone hand from limited opportunities.For West Coast, the unbeaten start to the season continues as they look to build on last year’s club revival that saw them make it to the Preliminary Final. But for Melbourne, it was another chapter of doom and gloom; another disastrous chapter in the tale of misery that has afflicted the Demons in recent seasons.West Coast 4.3 11.8 19.14 25.16 (166)Melbourne 1.0 4.2 6.2 9.4 (58)Goals : West Coast – J Darling 4, Q Lynch 4, S Selwood 3, A Hams 3, J Hill 3, B Waters 2, D Kerr, N Naitanui, L Shuey, J Kennedy, A Selwood, A Gaff. Melbourne – M Clark 5, N Jones 2, L Dunn 2.Best : West Coast – S Hurn, S Selwood, L Shuey, A Gaff, C Masten, J Darling. Melbourne –J Magner, N Jones, J Howe, L Dunn, J Grimes, J Trengove.Injuries : West Coast – A Embley (shoulder). Melbourne – S Martin (hip) replaced in selected side by T McDonald.Substitutions : West Coast – A Embley (shoulder) replaced by A Hams in the second quarter. Melbourne – J Bennell replaced by M Bate in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Fila, Leppard, Farmer.Crowd - 35,674 at Patersons Stadium.

Collingwood broke through for their first win of 2012 when the Magpies prevailed by 21 points over Richmond in a hard-hitting and sometimes spiteful match at the MCG on Saturday night.Conditions at the MCG were good, but both sides had the yips in front of goals during the early exchanges; and chance after chance was squandered by both sides. The Magpies had ten scoring shots and Richmond seven; but for all those chances, only a total of three goals were scored. The Magpies got the upper hand in the second quarter, with three goals to one, to lead by 18 points at the long break.As the half-time siren sounded, tempers frayed and all the players from both teams became embroiled in an all-in mellee. Although no reports were laid, the match review panel will have plenty of footage to have a look at during the week.When the teams returned for the second half, it was Collingwood who emerged the stronger, with a devastating burst putting the game out of Richmond’s reach. Five goals in eight minutes, three of them to Dale Thomas, opened up an unassailable 48-point lead and the contest was over.The Tigers played better in the last quarter to cut the final margin to 21 points; but it was Collingwood’s night. Nathan Buckley’s coaching career has its first win, as the Magpies look to get their season on track in their quest to go one better than last year’s second place finish.Collingwood 2.8 5.10 11.12 12.13 (85)Richmond 1.6 2.10 4.13 8.16 (64)Goals : Collingwood – T Cloke 3, D Thomas 3, J Blair 2, A Fasolo 2, J Paine, D Jolly. Richmond – B Miller 4, B Deledio 2, S Edwards, R Conca.Best : Collingwood – S Pendlebury, D Swan, T Cloke, J Blair, L Ball, S Sidebottom. Richmond – B Deledio, A Rance, B Houli, C Newman, S Grigg, D Grimes.Injuries : Collingwood – C Tarrant (calf). Richmond – N Foley (broken nose), J King (knee).Substitutions : Collingwood – C Tarrant (calf) replaced by P Seedsman at quarter time. Richmond – J King (knee) replaced by R Nahas in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Dalgleish, Stewart, Meredith.Crowd - 57,268 at the MCG.

It wasn’t convincing by any means, and the game never reached any great heights; but Adelaide continued their unbeaten start to 2012 when the Crows completed an 18-point win over the Western Bulldogs at AAMI Stadium on Saturday night.Jared Petrenko got the Crows off to a flying start, with two goals in the first five minutes; launching the platform that saw the Crows go to an early four-goal lead. But disaster would strike the Crows as Richard Douglas went down with a hamstring injury, forcing the home side to use their sub midway through the first quarter.The Crows led by 18 points at quarter time, and although the Bulldogs attempted to peg back the deficit during the second quarter, some poor finishing would cost them dearly. Although the Bulldogs were beginning to have the better of play around the ground, the Crows had the edge in the finishing department; winning the quarter against the run of play and leading by 25 points at the long break.But against all expectations, the Crows had a shocker in the premiership quarter, unable to score a goal as the Bulldogs raised their intensity. And with four goals, the Bulldogs came storming back into the contest, silencing the home crowd with the only four goals of the term to cut the margin to two points at three-quarter time. And when Matthew Boyd, who had picked up a ton of possession throughout the game, kicked truly early in the final quarter, the Bulldogs had snatched an unlikely lead.For ten scoreless minutes, the game was in the balance as the sense of tension grew around the ground. But eventually Taylor Walker snapped the deadlock, twice marking and goaling within a minute to get Adelaide back on track. Although the Bulldogs continued to fight it out to the end, Walker’s double had steadied the home side; and they would go on to record an 18-point victory and remain undefeated in 2012.Adelaide 4.4 7.8 7.11 11.16 (82)Western Bulldogs 1.4 3.7 7.9 9.10 (64)Goals : Adelaide – T Walker 3, J Petrenko 2, T Lynch 2, I Callinan, R Sloane, J Porplyzia, P Dangerfield. Bulldogs – M Boyd 2, L Jones 2, N Djerrkura, L Picken, D Giansiracusa, J Grant, J Roughead.Best : Adelaide – S Thompson, R Sloane, T Lynch, N Van Berlo, B Reilly, T Walker. Bulldogs – M Boyd, R Murphy, R Griffen, L Picken, D Cross, B Lake.Injuries : Adelaide – R Douglas (hamstring). Bulldogs – Nil.Substitutions : Adelaide – R Douglas replaced by T Lynch in the first quarter. Bulldogs – C Smith replaced by T Dickson in the fourth quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Bannister, Hay, Schmitt.Crowd - 34,021 at AAMI Stadium.

The enormity of the challenge of building a new AFL team in the west of Sydney, using a young and inexperienced team, was made all too clear on Sunday. The first AFL match for premiership points at Hobart’s Bellerive Oval saw the Giants held goal-less in the first half as North Melbourne recorded a resounding 129-point victory.Bursting out of the blocks, the Kangaroos had seven unanswered goals in the first quarter, while the Giants were unable to score until time-on and even then it was only three points. The Kangaroos led by 43 points at quarter time, and by half time the margin had blown out to 76 points; with the Giants unable to score a goal in the first half.Things finally picked up for the Giants in the third term, and they would kick a respectable six goals for the quarter to salvage a better look to the scoreboard; but the Kangaroos still won the quarter and led by 93 points at three-quarter time. And with another eight goal quarter in the final term, the Kangaroos blew the margin out into three figures and beyond the 20-goal margin.North Melbourne had winners all round the ground. Fourteen Kangaroo players got their names onto the goal-scoring list, with Aaron Edwards the leading contributor with five goals. Ryan Bastinac picked up a career-high 44 possessions, while Leigh Adams, Liam Anthony, Michael Firrito and Brent Harvey all touched the ball more than 30 times.But for the Giants, after their disastrous goal-less first half, finally they were able to salvage something positive from the game. On the forward line, second-gamer Jeremy Cameron managed to take a series of strong marks; and with four second-half goals, at least he was able to create something for the Giants to take out of this game. But, despite Cameron’s heroics, the size of the challenge of building a new competitive team from scratch was made all too clear, as the Giants were comprehensively beaten in all aspects of the game.North Melbourne 7.4 12.8 20.9 28.15 (183)Greater Western Sydney 0.3 0.4 6.6 8.6 (54)Goals : North Melbourne – A Edwards 5, H McIntosh 3, B Harvey 2, A Mullett 2, T Goldstein 2, R Bastinac 2, D Petrie 2, L Anthony 2, A Swallow, J McMillan, B Cunnington, D Wells, S Wright, L Adams GWS – J Cameron 4, C Ward, P Davis, D Smith, J Giles.Best : North Melbourne – R Bastinac, L Adams, L Anthony, D Wells, B Harvey, H McIntosh. GWS – C Cornes, T Greene, J Giles, C Ward, T Scully, J Cameron.Injuries : North Melbourne – L Thomas (knee). GWS – Nil.Substitutions : North Melbourne – L Thomas replaced by A Mullett in the third quarter. GWS – N Wilson replaced by D Tyson at three-quarter time.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Rosebury, Ryan, Mitchell.Crowd - 11,127 at Blundstone Arena.

Easter Sunday wasn’t a good day for the expansion teams; and after GWS’s heavy loss to North Melbourne, Gold Coast also copped a 92-point loss to St Kilda at Docklands.The Saints took control from the start, with the only five goals of the opening quarter to lead by 30 points at quarter time. The Suns got themselves on the scoreboard in the second term, a quarter that never reached any great heights but one which finished with the Saints ahead by 41 points.But for all St Kilda’s control, there was one player they were unable to stop. Captain Gary Ablett was magnificent for the Suns, time and again stopping the Saints’ midfielders and getting plenty of the ball to prevent the game from blowing out further.With Ablett creating plenty of drive, the Suns launched a mini-comeback at the start of the third quarter with the first two goals, on their way to four for the quarter. But the Saints had the answers and kicked away again, finding room to move on the forward line to add seven goals. The high-scoring quarter ended with the Saints 60 points ahead, and they would go on with the job in the last quarter with six goals to one.Nick Riewoldt was the focal point on the St Kilda forward line, finishing with four goals. Brendon Goddard was a ball magnet for the Saints, finishing with 33 touches. But, although it’s extremely rare and possibly unprecedented for the best on ground in a match where the margin is over 90 points to come from the losing side; there was no doubt that Gary Ablett, with his 40 possessions, was clearly the standout individual.But it was the Saints who had the stronger team around the ground; and with the 92-point win the Saints have their first victory of the season and an imposing percentage. But it was a disappointing result for the Suns, and apart from the form of Gary Ablett, there was little to get excited about for the Suns from this match.St Kilda 5.2 8.7 15.10 21.13 (139)Gold Coast 0.2 2.2 6.4 7.5 (47)Goals : St Kilda – N Riewoldt 4, R Stanley 2, J Koschitzke 2, D Armitage 2, S Milne 2, T Milera 2, J Steven, S Gilbert, J Geary, J Cripps, B Goddard, C Jones, B McEvoy. Gold Coast –C Brown 2, G Ablett 2, B Matera, L Russell, T Hickey.Best : St Kilda – B Goddard, N Riewoldt, D Armitage, S Fisher, L Montagna, J Steven. Gold Coast – G Ablett, D Swallow, J Brennan, D Prestia, B Matera, J Caddy.Injuries : St Kilda – Nil. Gold Coast – C Brown (groin).Substitutions : St Kilda – S Milne replaced by T Ledger in the third quarter. Gold Coast – A Hall replaced by T McKenzie in the third quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - Kamolins, Wenn, Foot.Crowd - 21,032 at Etihad Stadium.

After a weekend in which most of the games were one-sided and lacklustre, the best was left till last. An Easter Monday blockbuster at the MCG was a thriller, with Geelong coming from behind to defeat Hawthorn by two points.In wet and windy conditions, the lead see-sawed several times during an evenly-contested first half. The Cats led by three points at quarter time, but the Hawks took the lead during the second quarter and held a nine-point advantage at the long break.The Hawks broke away from the Cats during the third term, kicking five goals to three to run to an 18-point lead at the last change. But despite having plenty of chances during the last quarter, the Hawks were unable to score a goal for the final term. Instead, it was the Cats who worked hard with the game in the balance, with James Podsiadly producing three goals during the last quarter for the Cats to take the lead at the 23-minute mark and then hold on for dear life during the closing stages of the match.For the Cats, the result continues a strong run of form against the Hawks; having not lost to the team in brown and gold since the 2008 Grand Final. James Podsiadly contributed five goals to the Geelong cause, while Tom Hawkins and Jimmy Bartel were prominent around the ground. Sam Mitchell was a ball magnet for the Hawks. After a thrilling and closely-fought contest between two well-placed teams, both find themselves on one win and one loss after the first two rounds.Geelong 4.1 7.3 10.7 14.8 (92)Hawthorn 3.4 8.6 13.7 13.12 (90)Goals : Geelong – J Podsiadly 5, T Hawkins 3, S Johnson 3, J Bartel 2, B Smedts. Hawthorn – J Lewis 3, L Franklin 2, C Rioli 2, B Whitecross 2, D Hale, S Mitchell, J Roughead, M Suckling.Best : Geelong – T Hawkins, J Bartel, J Selwood, S Johnson, P Chapman, J Podsiadly. Hawthorn – S Mitchell, B Whitecross, S Burgoyne, J Lewis, I Smith, G BirchallInjuries : Geelong – J Selwood (head), B Smedts (shoulder), S Johnson (corked thigh). Hawthorn – J Gibson (head), B McCauley (concussion).Substitutions : Geelong - B Smedts (shoulder) replaced by M Brown in the fourth quarter. Hawthorn - B McCauley (concussion) replaced by J Gunston in the fourth quarter.Reports – Nil. Umpires - McBurney, Margetts, McInerney.Crowd - 69,231 at MCG.